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Yankees notebook: Mark Teixeira returns to lineup

Chad Jennings, cjennings@lohud.com 11:39 p.m. EDT June 15, 2014

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter stands with teammates and manager Joe Girardi during a pitching change in the fourth inning in a game against the A's at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Yankees 10-5 Sunday.(Photo: Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports)

OAKLAND, Calif. – One day after being scratched from the lineup with tightness in his back, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was back in the cleanup spot on Sunday. His RBI double drove in the first Yankees run.

"It (was) just a spasm," Teixeira said. "Joe (Girardi) and (trainer Steve Donohue) were a little afraid I might have pulled something, but I knew it was just a spasm and it just needed to calm down."

Teixeira said he woke up Saturday with some tightness in the middle of his back. It was focused somewhere beneath his left shoulder and got worse after batting practice. That's when Girardi pulled him from the lineup. It's the fourth injury that's forced Teixeira to miss time this season.

He went on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, missed one game with fatigue and groin tightness, missed five games when he needed a cortisone injection in his wrist, and now the back injury that has cost Teixeira only one game.

Despite all the missed time, Teixeira leads the Yankees in home runs and RBI. Their lineup is significantly different when he's not in it.

"He's a big home run threat," Girardi said. "He's an RBI guy. He's huge in the middle of the order between some lefties; a switch hitter that really does damage against left-handers if they want to bring in a lefty to face some of our guys."

Counting to three: Carlos Beltran had two hits including a home run and said he felt better at the plate than any other game since coming back from a sore elbow.

"It was positive the way I feel," Beltran said. "Hit the ball hard every at-bat, so hopefully I can build from that."

The down side: Beltran was caught unaware after grounding into a fielder's choice in the eighth inning. Thinking it was the last out, Beltran stepped on first base and began walking back to the dugout. The A's threw to first and Beltran was out. It was ruled he had abandoned first base.

"I thought there were two outs," Beltran said.

Honoring the Captain: To commemorate his final trip to Oakland, the A's gave Derek Jeter three retirement gifts: A trip to Napa Valley, a bottle of Napa cabernet and a $10,002 check for Jeter's foundation. Jeter had a double and finished with a career .338 batting average in Oakland.

"I've had a lot of fun games here, fun times competing against great teams," Jeter said. "Hopefully I'll get an opportunity to come back again."

Yankee clippings: Second baseman Brian Roberts sat out a second straight game after fouling a ball off his knee on Friday. … Jeter played a day game after a night game. Girardi said he felt comfortable doing it because of Monday's off-day. … Designated for assignment last week, left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc has declined his outright assignment and become a free agent.